James Graham
The writer is penning six-part series Sherwood, a fictionalized drama based on real-life events, set in the Nottinghamshire mining village in which Graham grew up. It centers on two shocking and unexpected murders that shatter an already fractured community leading to one of the largest manhunts in British history.
Police inspectors Ian St Clair, from the local constabulary, and Kevin Salisbury, from the Metropolitan Police, must bury an old rivalry to solve the murders. Suspicion is rife as the deaths threaten to inflame historic divisions sparked during the miners’ strike that tore families apart in the 1980s.
Graham worked with House Productions on Emmy-nominated Benedict Cumberbatch starrer Brexit: The Uncivil War, while he enjoyed ratings success last year with ITV/AMC’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? cheat scandal drama Quiz.
Commenting on his latest project, he said: “So much is spoken about the divisions and difficulties in these “Red Wall” towns, but they’re not always understood. I feel so honored to be able to tell a fictionalized story about a very real trauma, but with the humor and heart and resilience of the people I know and love there.”
House Productions founders Juliette Howell and Tessa Ross said Sherwood is an “extraordinarily powerful drama,” while BBC drama controller Piers Wenger added that it is a “heartfelt and purposeful thriller.”
Lewis Arnold (Time, Des) is lead director and an executive producer, while the producer is Rebecca Hodgson (The Irregulars). Howell, Ross, and Harriet Spencer are executive producers for House Productions and Ben Irving will executive produce for BBC. BBC Studios will distribute the series internationally.
Sherwood shoots later in 2021.